Cappies Review: 'Little Shop Of Horrors' At Alexandria High School

By McKenzie Phelan of Quince Orchard High School

Boy meets girl. Boy acquires plant. Plant...eats girl?

That's the story of Alexandria City High School's Little Shop of Horrors. With laughs, thrills, and more than a few chills, this rock 'n' roll musical is as frightening as it is fun.

Little Shop of Horrors, a black comedy musical with book and lyrics by Howard Ashman and score by Alan Menken, opened off-Broadway in 1982. Several productions have been mounted since, including a 1986 film starring Rick Moranis and Ellen Green, and a 2003 Broadway revival. The 60s set show follows Seymour Krelborn, a down-on-his-luck botanist whose discovery of a strange and interesting flytrap he names "Audrey II" saves Skid Row Florists from ruin. However, when Audrey II begins to display a craving for human blood, Seymour must decide what - and who - he's willing to sacrifice to keep the plant appeased.

Grounding this larger-than-life production were Stuart Conrad as Seymour and Erin Burns as Audrey, Seymour's crush, and the plant's namesake. Conrad brought equal parts nerdiness and charm to his role, instilling the whimsical character with a sense of depth and gravity during darker moments. His vocal performance, especially in solos like "Grow for Me" was peppered with impressive riffs and runs well-suited to the show's rock-inspired score, giving Seymour an added layer of tenacity. Opposite Conrad, Burns' Audrey was anything but fragile, moving past melodrama to give a confident and unflinchingly honest performance. A consistent dialect, clear vocal tone, and outstanding comedic timing all served to elevate the complex character Burns created. Together, Conrad and Burns developed an easy and endearing chemistry - the couple's use of proximity and harmony in the duet "Suddenly, Seymour" created a heartwarming number that demonstrated both performers' singing and acting chops.

Standout performances also included Naeem Scott as Orin Scrivello, a gleefully sadistic dentist and Audrey's abusive boyfriend. With villainous charisma and self-assured stage presence, Scott's performance was both engaging and terrifying. DeAngelo Palucho played the role of Mr. Mushnik with panache, using humor and flair to bring the character's less-than-warm father figure to life. Palucho and Conrad played well off each other, delivering plenty of laughs during the hilariously upbeat number "Mushnik and Son."

The show's sets were remarkably intricate, placing audiences right in the crumbling heart of urban Skid Row. The centerpiece was the "little shop" itself, which was set on a rotating platform to reveal both its inside and outside as the show required. Sliding barn doors opened to reveal smaller sets, such as a radio station or the dentist's office, within the neighborhood's brick buildings. And not to be missed were the evolving Audrey II puppets, which ranged from a simple hand puppet to a man-eating monstrosity requiring up to three students to operate. The largest Audrey II had a hole beneath it, with a trapdoor for victims to climb through after being "consumed." All these technical elements were supported by a professional-quality stage crew, who pulled off rapid set changes and handled unexpected hiccups while remaining completely invisible to the audience.

While the characters of Little Shop of Horrors want nothing more than to get out of Skid Row, audiences at Alexandria City High School may find that they never want to leave. With a strong cast and top-notch tech, Little Shop of Horrors could just be bigger than hula-hoops.